


Dueling for all the right reasons

by Jojo1112



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! - All Media Types, Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Duelling, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Episode 137 Battle for the Bronze - Part 3, Feelings Realization, Kaiba Seto Needs a Hug, M/M, Post-Canon, Protective Mutou Yuugi, Two Shot
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-23
Updated: 2020-06-22
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:39:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24866191
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jojo1112/pseuds/Jojo1112
Summary: After defeating Joey and taking third place in the tournament, Kaiba plans to destroy the Duel Tower and bury his past forever. Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you get!
Relationships: Kaiba Seto/Mutou Yuugi
Comments: 6
Kudos: 20





	Dueling for all the right reasons

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Taedae](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Taedae/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Piece by Piece](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17307011) by [Taedae](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Taedae/pseuds/Taedae). 



> **A/N**
> 
> This is a present for someone I really adore. (Even though I'm late.) We formed a friendship and I'm grateful to God for eternity to have met her! (And to have the courage to talk to her!) She is still there for me in my dark times, saves me and holds on to me.  
> A friend I long for the day to come to close my arms around her for real. Until then – I hope I can charm her and put a smile on her face with this story. She always succeeds with me. 
> 
> Ich hab dich lieb.
> 
> *
> 
> A big thank you, _Windcage_ , and _venom-for-free_ , for your help!

NOTE: We are in episode 137 (Battle for the Bronze - Part 3/The Path to Becoming a True Duelist), Kaiba wins third place of the tournament and wants to leave, but is stunned when Mokuba tells him that there's one more duel to sit out. Kaiba hosted the tournament in order to become Number one, not to help Yugi. He defiantly insists that he designed this whole tournament, and he was robbed of his victory. But he can still bury his past by destroying the Duel Tower. He tells Mokuba to prepare for detonation ... but Mokuba protests. Sad-eyed, Mokuba doesn't go. Kaiba angrily asks if he heard him. Mokuba says he heard him, but he doesn't think to destroy the tower is going to solve anything. All it will do is cause more destruction and more hatred. Kaiba is shocked when Mokuba goes on, with tears in his eyes, saying he thinks Yugi was right. Kaiba is filled with hate. He remembers Yugi telling Kaiba that he is dueling for all the wrong reasons, fueled by anger, hate and jealousy, and the denial of the past.

In my version, Kaiba leaves and runs away afterward. And Mokuba begs Yugi to search for him, which is what Yugi does.

*

“Kaiba.”

He knew this voice to distinguish from a thousand ones. The voice belonged to a youngster, he thought with contempt, a person small in stature even for his age. How did he find him? How? He wasn't playing hide-and-seek, and he certainly didn't want to be looked for! No, he just needed a moment for himself to calm down, to process that he had lost, that he had lost against ...

The voice called to him again. Kaiba clenched his jaw. His mind still insisted on going over all the things his little brother had told him. _You are filled with hate! Why do you never smile anymore? I want the days of our childhood back the way they were! You could change! Why don't you help Yugi, and prevent more damage instead of causing more?_ Mokuba's burst into tears shook him even now.

“Kaiba.”

“Shatter to pieces, Yugi!” Kaiba snapped. His tone didn't lack its usual bite.

The tense silence between them was all too familiar. Kaiba, who sat cross-legged on the floor, observed Yugi Mutou slowly walking closer to him.

“Kaiba.” Yugi's voice wavered for a moment but found back to its calmness. “I came here to—”

The sharp voice interrupted him. “Shut up.”

“I searched for you in the name of—”

“You found me.” Kaiba barked a laugh. He had wanted to take Yugi down fighting, to claim victory, and instead he _what?_ Ended with his little brother in tears. Failed as a brother! And now had to have his rival here? It couldn't get any worse than this.

“Seto—”

“Seto?” Kaiba growled. “When did we become friends? I must have missed the part.”

“I thought we were past that.”

“It's over,” Kaiba said. The monsters inside his heart – anger, hate, and jealousy, and the denial of his past – nearly drowned him in the sudden wave of sorrow and pain. “I'm nothing.”

“Your usual philosophy of 'losing is equal to dying' won't work here. Did you think you could win bearing a burden of anger and hatred?”

“They give me power.”

“Then I'm going to show you—”

“Futile.”

“You don't need—”

“Say what you want.”

“Seto—”

“Stop disturbing, interfering with, or trying to improve me!” 

The awkward silence that followed lasted until Yugi sighed and took a step forward. “What can I do to make it up to you?”

Kaiba raised his eyebrows and snorted. “You wouldn't dare—”

“I would. That's what I'm here for.”

“A repetition of our duel?”

“No.” Yugi shook his head. “To get you out of this ... mood.”

“Nothing stays the same forever, Yugi.” Seto remained still, watching as the young one with the golden-blond locks blinked and swallowed.

“Tell me how.”

“You're up for a different kind of game with me?”

“I … am.”

“I'll hold you to your word!”

“Still consumed by your obsession to beat me?”

For the first time, Kaiba watched him thoroughly. “I had something else in mind.” A sharp, critical gaze was given to Yugi's body. It ran up and down his clothes. “Take those off.”

Yugi froze. “W-What?”

“Undress. Strip,” Kaiba hissed, lips curling at Yugi's lack of reaction. “Are you in need of a dictionary or should I continue?”

Finally a reaction. Yugi bit his lower lip, nervous.

“Do not hesitate too long or I might think this over.”

“What is your game aiming at?”

“To humiliate you?” Seto mocked him. “To see how serious you are?”

Yugi squirmed a little but answered, “As I said, I am. That's why I'm here. I—”

“This is not a card game, Yugi. This is real.” Kaiba interrupted him and leaned a little forward. “Strip.”

“You are serious.”

“Since when am I not?”

“If I win, you'll come with me?”

“If...”

“You didn't say anything about the rules, Seto.”

“The rules are easy: the first who backs out loses.”

“Backs out from what? What are you driving at?”

“Private bargains?”

Yugi flinched, ducking his head behind his strands. He swallowed and tried to brush the dampness from his flushed skin, confusion evident on his face. “What do you mean by that?”

Interesting, Seto thought, he's flustered. “According to my fist bargain,” he answered wryly, “it's your turn to strip.”

A moment went by, when the young one, having made a decision, opened his blue jacket and undressed it. It fell to the floor. He looked up and found Kaiba's dark gaze upon him.

“All of it.” 

“How many—”

“Five? Or shall we go with three moves, since I play with you and you are about to lose anyway?”

Even though Yugi paled and hesitated first, the chain with the Millennium Puzzle followed. So did the closed-buckled collar he wore around his neck. Then, he pulled the black shirt he had underneath over his head. Blushing, he remained half-naked in front of Kaiba, and it was apparent that he felt exposed. That was what Kaiba aimed at, of course. His eyes continued to bore into Yugi, pointedly ignoring the youngster's uneasiness. “I said all.” He was reluctant to follow, Kaiba saw it. “Afraid of me?” he taunted him.

Yugi returned the look, shook his head, and opened his belt, pulling it in one move out of the belt loops. It fell with a clang to the floor. Blushing deeper, he unzipped his blue trousers and got rid of them, wearing now only classic black boxers beneath.

Pale skin, a sleek silhouette, and fine muscles, that was Yugi in a nutshell. Some people might have described him as fragile because of his small stature, others, however, might have called him androgynous. He had a soft look and a feminine-like appearance. He possessed a delicate tenderness, like a flower, which unfolded its beauty by taking a closer look. He looked—

Kind. And Kaiba suddenly started to have mixed feelings.

He couldn't deny Yugi's beauty, he admired both its frailty and its strength, and over and over again he had clashed with them while dueling with him. And today, Yugi had defeated him. Maybe that would be easier to swallow if it wasn't for the kindness that was so evident in Yugi's eyes. He cared. He had too much consideration for others, as he showed now. That he was here, even though he had won, confirmed to Kaiba what kind of person he was.

But in all the glory Yugi stood in front of him, there was also an act of selflessness in it, one he found himself wanting to pick up on, of seeing how far he could go. Wouldn't it be the sweetest revenge? He found himself taking up their conversation. “So, you've come here to find me.”

Yugi only nodded, searching for the right words.

“Even though you said to me that I won't defeat you, you are here, offering yourself as a bonus for me?”

“To become a true duelist—” Yugi started, but Kaiba's derisive laughter made him stop for a moment before he continued with a low voice, “I'm here both as a rival who walked the road of battle with you and as a friend. I consider you a friend, Seto.”

“Whatever,” Kaiba snorted. “Just don't expect anything back from me, Yugi.”

“Wouldn't dream of it.”

“Good,” Kaiba smirked, turning his head slightly to glance over to the closed door. “You are still in?”

“Of course.”

“Just making sure.”

“It's my turn now, is it not?”

Kaiba raised his eyebrows. “Are you comfortable enough to express yourself?”

“Do the same.”

“What was that?”

“Let's finish this.”

It was then that Kaiba rose and came close. When he stopped before Yugi at the last his face did not change at all, except for the hard compression of his lips as he bowed over him, his forehead barely touching his. Yugi held his breath.

“You better prepare yourself.” Kaiba knew he was cheeky, so he moved closer, crowding the youngster until he shied away from him step by step and was backed up against the wall. Yugi's warmth and closeness didn't fail to take effect on him, almost seared him.

“Prepare … myself?”

Kaiba passed Yugi's whispered question, a little amazed about himself. Forgotten was – for a moment – his aim of humiliating the youngster. Instead, he felt the sudden jolt of desire that flooded his veins and its heated rush through his body. The feeling he had right now had nothing to do with the ones he was used to feeling. Softly, as not to scare him too much, he took Yugi's face in one of his hands and lifted his head to him. The same moment those big violet eyes looked questioningly up to him, Kaiba bowed down to him.

There was a hitch of breath. As Yugi's full lips parted to say something, Seto swept his mouth against his in an impulsive and electric kiss and gasped when their lips fit – surprisingly – well together. Pulling the young one into an embrace, their bodies pressed against each other. With a simple, unplanned kiss, he felt a new hunger that was growing more consuming the longer Yugi remained in his arms.

*

Yugi anticipated everything but this! He was stunned. Did Seto kiss him? Never before had he felt such strong emotions for anyone! He remembered giving Téa a kiss but it had never been like this. The moment was a colorful kaleidoscope of feelings. His heart raced. He started sweating. He was weak in the knees, and his vision blurred. A fire burned in him he didn't know. It couldn't be!

Constantly treading the dangerous line between bordering hate and something like a kind approach, never sure what kind of reaction from Seto's side it would garner him, Yugi certainly didn't expect for him to react this way. Completely surprised, Yugi found himself curious about how far Seto would go. Up until now, he hadn't even a chance to tell him that he was here because of Mokuba. But being granted the opportunity to pull Seto away from his hate, Yugi, perhaps recklessly, jumped right in. When he carefully wrapped his arms around his waist, Seto, however, pulled back.

He cleared his throat. “Yugi—”

Was it a mistake? Seto simply couldn't turn around and change his mind this fast! Yugi was lost for a moment and his gaze darted to the floor. Confused again, all he replied was, “That makes already two thirds of the game for me and zero for you, doesn't it?”

“Then name your first bargain,” Seto demanded immediately.

Yet, Yugi's head was suddenly empty. It wasn't in his nature to force people to do something. Feeling they were too close, in addition, he tried an ungainly step out of Seto's reach but his arm shot forward to stop him. Yugi fell silent as he battled with himself on what to do.

“Are you afraid of losing? I expected more of a challenge from the top-ranked duelist. What do you want me to do? I'm Seto Kaiba. I can do any sort of thing.” 

“It is not that.”

“You want my deck?”

“I know that you duel to gain power and to be the best. But this isn't about—”

“You think this is fun?”

“It's not always about being number one!”

Seto got furious. “If it wasn't that, why did you agree to this?”

“I'm sorry, Seto.” Yugi's voice had dropped so low he was nearly whispering. “I don't mean to make you think that I'm … questioning this or that I'm ungrateful. I do like all sorts of games, and I'm appreciative. It's just ...” Yugi's hands curled into fists. “I've come here because your little brother asked me. He was worried about you. And I want to take you back to him. Moreover, Marik is waiting for me. ”

Blue eyes stared into violet eyes for quite some time. Yugi saw that Seto struggled, but what he didn't know was that the second he mentioned Mokuba, Seto was reminded both of his younger brother and the overall situation.

Finally, Seto broke the silence. “You've enjoyed kissing me?”

Even though Kaiba was known for displaying a conservative, ruthless, and abrasive demeanor paired up with pride and a sense of superiority, Yugi constantly held out hope for him. The way he stood in front of him and eyed him, apparently waiting for an answer, was such a moment. Besides, Seto was nothing short of breathtaking.

A slender and imposing figure, over six-feet tall. Short brown hair with strands, not hiding the angular shape of his face and highlighting his bright blue eyes. He was gorgeous, all the more so up close, Yugi was well aware of it. Adding the long white sleeveless KaibaCorp-designed coat featuring shoulder pads and a raised studded collar, with black sleeves from his shirt coming out from under, as black as his trousers which suited him just fine. “They say you are good-looking, Seto. I won't deny it.”

“You didn't answer my question.”

“I have.” 

“So, ready for more?”

“Seto—”

Yugi paused when Seto covered Yugi's hand softly with his. The sharp kick of his pulse made him swallow as well as the heat of Seto's hand on his own. How could he have let Seto do this to him, to affect him this way that he could not control his emotions? An answer seemed impossible with his tightened throat. He looked down, thinking of his hands that had come to rest on Seto's back, feeling the strong muscles beneath the skin ripple at his touch. While Yugi musingly focused on the hand and what it did, Seto turned to look at his face.


End file.
